I cut the cable cord (sort of)

[tryan]

After 5 years with basic cable (~12 channels) and watching price creeps on Vonage and Netflix ... we did the Comcast triple play for 99/mo. Didn't save much but the kids like the channel selection. When the intro period ends (1 yr) I'll probably jump to Dish. And let the land line go.

Been wo service for 2 days .... Missed the Pats game this weekend due an Oct snow storm ... satalite would have carried it.

 

[Dry Socks]

Do you guys have some good links by any chance on how to do this or other similar setups? I am interested in
- minimal requirements for a computer I would need for this
- minimal requirements for a TV for this to work
- how to hooks things up

Thanks!

I use Sagetv.
Google bought them and killed it. Still works for me but you can't buy it now.

 

[pimpmyretirement]

So what kind of internet speed does one need to stream programs?

Netflix suggests 3mbps for standard def, 6mbps for high def. That matches my experience.

I have streamed Netflix in hotels with a 1.5mbps connection. It helps to start the video, pause it for 5-10 minutes so the browser can cache, then watch.

I wouldn't go below 3mbps for regular viewing.

 

[Independent]

We've never had cable. Every fall I think about it, look at the prices, especially the "after introductory rate runs out" part, and move on.

I get excellent reception with OTA and an antenna. The cable shows are available thru Netflix a year or so after they air. I get news on the internet.

I'd be happy to go to a pure pay-per-view world, just let me decide when to watch with internet streaming. I expect most shows would be pennies an episode. But that's somewhere in the future.

 

[slazenger]

I cut the cord too. I use Netflix for blu-ray rentals and streaming, and ESPN 3 to watch most sporting events I want to see.

I personally don't get all the Netflix hoop-la. I was always fascinated how much they offered for so little price, and just assumed they were taking a loss to build the company. With the recent price hikes, it actually sounds more reasonable to me now. I'm hoping less customers and equivalent blu-ray stock means I get what I want more frequently instead of more "short or long waits".

 

[67walkon]

Talk about LBYM! You guys are amazing.

We have 2 homes, one is very part time and was primarily a better place to invest some money when we built it 3 years ago. No mortgage. Our main home has Comcast. The other house has rabbit ears. Except for the food network and network shows, there is nothing on Comcast my wife cares about. Except for the sports and history channels, there is nothing on Comcast I care about. We do just fine with the rabbit ears when we're at the other house, but we only get PBS, ABC and CBS.

Giving up cable is an interesting thought.

 

[Sue J]

If things got tight our DirecTV would be the first thing to get cut.

BTW, a year ago we upgraded to HD and DirecTV gave us a $10/month discount for a year. The year just expired so I called to see if I could get it extended. They said, no that promo is gone but if you switch to AutoPay we can offer you HD free for life. I said that I already have AutoPay, can I still get HD free for life? They checked it out and got it approved and I already saw it applied to the account.

HD is $10/month so there's my $10 discount. No sports or movie packages, just 3 TVs and it's $88/month including taxes. Except for an occasional eating out it's our only non-necessity.

If I had to I'd cut the cord, but we really enjoy the DirecTV.

 

[Khan]

I dropped all cable about a year ago as I simply wasn't watching it.
Total monthly expenses decreased of course, but also noticed electric use decreased about 1 KWH per day.

 

[Chuckanut]

Goodies from the 2016 CES to help cord cutters.

If CES 2016 is any indication, the future is only looking brighter for cord cutters. While 2015 brought loads of new streaming options for those looking to ditch cable, sorting through all the options and finding content became quite the difficult task. Look for that to change in 2016.

Top 5 products for cord cutters at CES - Dwight Silverman's TechBlog

 

[Dawg52]

Goodies from the 2016 CES to help cord cutters.



Top 5 products for cord cutters at CES - Dwight Silverman's TechBlog

Good info. In the link he discusses Sling TV of which I'm a big fan. For $20, it's a great deal imo. From his blog.......

While Sling TV didn’t announce some of the major updates many of us were hoping for (DVR function, multiple streams, etc.) they did unveil a completely overhauled interface. The new user interface is designed to get away from the feel of traditional cable and create a more personalized experience for viewers.

Interestingly enough, in one talk I sat in on with Sling TV CEO Roger Lynch, he discussed how much on-demand content users are watching on Sling TV, as opposed to live TV. This is evident in the new interface, which seeks to blend the live TV and video-on-demand (VOD) experience. The change makes VOD content much easier to discover, which fixes a common gripe I’d hear about the Sling TV product (on-demand content used to be buried and extremely difficult to navigate, many people didn’t even know there’s select on-demand content for channels like AMC).

The new interface includes a screen called “MY TV.” The object is to bring your favorite content to you in one screen, so you don’t have to dig. The screen pulls together favorites, recommended, and trending content. And perhaps most notably, it offers a “continue watching” feature that lets you get right back where you were in whatever programs you were watching.

Sling TV also announced ESPN3 will join ESPN and ESPN2 to their Best of Live TV package. No more need to log-in to the WatchESPN app to gain access to all the ESPN3 content. It will now be integrated right into the guide. That means way more access to live and on-demand sports for viewers (this is especially handy for viewing sporting events broadcast on ABC, as ESPN3 simulcasts them)

 

[nun]

I cut the cable TV cord 2 years ago. My TV is hooked up to a digital antenna and I get 25 channels free. I find that I don't miss all the reality TV and rubbish on cable. I do miss the premium cable channels, but they are just too expensive.

I obviously still have broadband internet ($45/month) and also watch stuff on the PC. I haven't got AppleTV or Roku yet as I'm satisfied with the free stuff I can watch. I've also increased the amount I read.

 

[bclover]

I have the comcast triple play. phone, internet and cable plus home security. 270.00 a month. my contract is up 1/28 and I can't wait!! I'm getting rid of it on the 29th. can't cancel home security, that's a three year contract

 

[golfnut]

Sports is my addicttion. Wish there was a way to cut cable and still keep espn and the golf channel.

 

[Done]

I've considered dropping satellite but DW is a HGTV junkie

Sports is my addicttion. Wish there was a way to cut cable and still keep espn and the golf channel.

Sling TV gives you HGTV, ESPN, ESPN2 and others (soon ESPN3, but no Golf) for $20/mo, streamed to one device.
https://www.sling.com
There are a few add-on packages for $5. They offer a $50 discount on streaming devices if you prepay for 3 months of service. https://www.sling.com/devices/offers

Not a bad deal, although the interface was a little awkward when I tried it in its early days. Personally, I ended up going with an attic antenna and TiVo. Love the TiVo, especially so I don't need to be tech support for the family!

 

[papadad111]

I have a streaming type set top box that receives 600 global tv channels. It cost approx 200 dollars (one time fee) for the box and an hdmi or rca cable. It comes with a remote too and can receive streams in high def- up to 4K if the source is broadcast in high def.

You need to update the tv apps about once every 4 or 5 days. Works just like an android based smart phone and an App Store. Programming is very wide ranging from lots of countries.

I have I think the slowest internet by Comcast that I can get: 3 down. 1 up. On a promo for first year and pay $15 per month for Internet only no double or triple pay...I mean play... .

TV method is not perfect all the time - is very Internet speed dependent - but I give it an 8 out of 10- it would probably be better if I upgraded to a 25 down 3 up interwebs package on Comcast but I'm too cheap.

If the set top box isn't streaming so well, I can watch CNBC real time for free using a tablet app.

Ping me off list on the set top boxes. I have gotten them for friends too. Willing to order a few more next time if there is interest. No profit for me. Just as a favor to those here who like to try new technology and save a few bucks

 

[Chuckanut]

Plex has added the ability to record FREE Over The Air TV. Another option for those who want to cut the cable cord.

Popular media server Plex is today announcing a new a DVR feature that enables recording of free over-the-air content using a digital antenna and digital tuner.

You can bring your own digital antenna but will have to use a $60 HDHomeRun digital tuner from the company Plex is teaming up with to support the feature (it also supports non-DRM CableCARD channels on the HDHomeRun PRIME network attached digital tuner).

There is a fee - monthly or a lifetime subscription. I'm not sure whose life it is, but it's probably the digital tuner's.

And you’ll need to be a Plex Pass subscriber, which also enables access to mobile and cloud sync and other features for $4.99 per month or $149.99 for a lifetime subscription

.

https://9to5mac.com/2016/09/01/plex-media-server-dvr-over-the-air-tv/#more-443861

 

[kaudrey]

I would like to cut cable, but as a baseball and hockey fan of my local pro teams, I wouldn't be able to see the games without cable. The games are streamed, but blacked out locally so to force one to watch the regional sports channel on cable.

I.

+1

I'd love to cut cable, but I need my hockey games!

 

[Mulligan]

+1

I'd love to cut cable, but I need my hockey games!

Its around the corner...And my NHL package will be dinging my wallet soon.
But if you really want to cut cord and watch NHL including regional games there is always a way....
http://mobilesyrup.com/2013/10/12/h...om-nhl-gamecenter-even-if-theyre-blacked-out/

The best way to do it is to use an effective VPN. For mobile users, SurfEasy is a great option, allowing both U.S. and U.K. tunnels to mask your IP and open up access to every game. There are certain games televised by both a Canadian and U.S. network (the outdoor games come to mind), thus blacking it out no matter which feed you choose, and even if you are under a U.S. IP. Choose the U.K. one and suddenly the game pops to life. Having that kind of flexibility means you will be able to watch every game live, anytime you want. The only thing blacked out would be commercials and intermissions.

Bear in mind that this does require a further commitment. SurfEasy limits you to 500MB of bandwidth per month on a free account. That’s fine for testing a game or two, but isn’t a viable option for regular usage. Their Total VPN plan for $4.99 per month is a great deal in that it gives you unlimited data and supports up to five devices (only iOS and Android for mobile so far).


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[nun]

I got rid of my cable TV connection two years ago. At first I missed a few shows, but after a few weeks that passed. I bought a digital antenna and can pick up about 25 channels, NBC, CBS etc 5 PBS channels and lots of specialized channels like MeTV. I still get internet for $42/month and watch some stuff on the PC, but I find I'm reading a lot more now.

 

[Texas Proud]

Plex has added the ability to record FREE Over The Air TV. Another option for those who want to cut the cable cord.

There is a fee - monthly or a lifetime subscription. I'm not sure whose life it is, but it's probably the digital tuner's.

.

https://9to5mac.com/2016/09/01/plex-media-server-dvr-over-the-air-tv/#more-443861

Kinda an old idea.... I have an old DVR that has the old fashion tuner and a digital tuner inside... so not need for a separate tuner...

The big problem with this is no TV guide...

 

[MichaelB]

The big problem with this is no TV guide...

TV Guided listings online. TV Listings - Find Local TV Shows and Movie Schedules - Listings Grid | TVGuide.com

 

[Dawg52]

I'm still loving Playstation Vue. For $35/mo I have all the sports channels I could ever want. All the ESPN channels, Fox Sports, Golf Channel, SEC and Big 10 NW and they just added the NFL NW. Plus all the other channels I like. Over 70+ overall. Only one I don't get is the History channel, but can't say I lose any sleep over it. Pretty amazing deal imo.

 

[Cobra9777]

Plex has added the ability to record FREE Over The Air TV. Another option for those who want to cut the cable cord.

There is a fee - monthly or a lifetime subscription. I'm not sure whose life it is, but it's probably the digital tuner's...

I recently picked up two Fire TV boxes on Prime Day for $69.99 each. I installed Plex and Kodi on both, among lots of other apps. I find that we don't use Plex very much. I linked it up to a 3TB external drive that houses all our owned media (movies, music, photos, home video, recorded TV). It's quick to set up and looks good, but just doesn't do much. I'm not a Plex Pass subscriber.

Kodi on Fire TV is our home base. We use it every day, mainly because we get live OTA TV along with DVR functionality and online guide. We also have an old laptop running Kodi with an HDHomeRun tuner. The laptop acts as a server, which feeds live TV and DVR functionality to the two Fire TV boxes. Kodi also accesses all our owned media on the external drive, same as Plex.

Plex is a commercial spin-off of Kodi, which is open source. So you have to pay to get the more advanced features on Plex, which are free with Kodi. Kodi is a bit more effort to set up initially and if you need support, you search on Google.

I really like the Fire TV box. Voice search with Alexa on the remote is very useful. The Netflix app is far superior to the one we were running on our Vizio smart TVs. And we finally have easy access to Amazon Prime video, music, etc. Lots of other apps and content as well.

 

[ER Eddie]

I cut the cord several years ago. Paid $20/mo. for Netflix/Hulu + Gaiam. Saved a bundle in Comcast cable charges.

About 10 months ago, I eliminated TV entirely. Don't miss it a bit. Big waste of time.

 

[Texas Proud]

TV Guided listings online. TV Listings - Find Local TV Shows and Movie Schedules - Listings Grid | TVGuide.com

Thanks, but I was talking about on the DVR... with my dish I just put in the shows I want to watch and they take care of if they change or are not new...

This old DVR was like a VCR.. you have to put in the time you wanted it to record and it would no matter what was showing... if a show moved, too bad for you... if it was a repeat, so sorry...